the boy who had no home
by theeflowerchild
Summary: AU. SasuSaku. He was a mystery, he was the boy who survived, he was the boy who returned. "It was never despite, Sasuke. I never loved you despite anythin'. It was always because."
1. chapter one

**the boy who had no home**  
theeflowerchild

chapter one

* * *

I was only fifteen when I met him for the first time. I had just started waitressing at Ichiraku, a doe-eyed baby in search of something great, something special. I had heard his name before, but never actually seen him in the flesh.

Now, I want you to think hard. Picture the best looking person you've ever seen in your entire life, the most striking man you've ever laid eyes on, a person who makes your heart beat a mile a minute—and then multiply that by one hundred. That might give the true beauty of Sasuke Uchiha some justice.

He was all chiseled angles, sharp enough to stab my young heart, and pretty smirks when he walked into the diner. His leather jacket screamed of a danger I didn't know; I'm still not even sure if I truly understand it now. His eyes were as dark as his hair, a terrible mess on his pretty head, as dark as the mystery that was, is him. He turned heads like none I'd ever seen before. He was a handsome young man, some years older than me, and something of a local legend. He was the boy who survived.

I never knew he would become so much more.

By the grace of God, or whoever was looking after me that day, he sat down at one of my booths. Sometimes I like to think about what could have happened had he sat down in Ino's section, or Hinata's. Would they have said something like I had? Would they have talked like we did? Would he have swept them off their feet without so much as a glance, too?

"Uh, Sakura." My manager nudged me a little too harshly. "Dun' keep your customer waitin'."

I nodded my head and pushed my bangs neatly behind my ears. "Yes ma'am." I made my skirt the neatest I could, and smoothed out the wrinkles in my apron before slowly approaching his table. I could tell that the townies immediately recognized him, as they all stared, wide eyed and slack jawed at the famous man who had just moseyed into the local diner.

I had heard the rumors, of course, just like I'm sure everybody else had: Sasuke Uchiha comes and goes whenever he so pleases; Sasuke Uchiha does whatever and whoever he wants; Sasuke Uchiha comes home whenever Sasuke Uchiha feels right. They spoke about him like he was a ghost: long gone, but tempted to haunt; I never thought the day would come where I'd actually see the man.

He didn't spare the menu a glance, or me, for that matter, when I finally approached his table. He looked bored, cupping his chin in the palm of his hand without a care in the world. He was even prettier up close, eyes like molten hot ambers, long lashes dusting his high cheekbones. He was a needle in a haystack in our town.

I coughed to gain his attention, and he spared me a withering glance that made my blood boil hot. "G-Good afternoon," I stammered, to my crippling embarrassment. He smirked. With a deep breath, I continued, "Can I get you anythin' to drink?"

"Just coffee, black," he said. If he had a Konoha accent at any point in his life, it was gone and unapparent then. I watched his eyes trail down my body and back up to my face, and felt myself become horribly self-conscious. "That will be all, thanks."

I was about to turn around, but something stopped me. My heart was beating fast. There were so many hints, but nothing concrete. I had to know. "You're Sasuke, right? Sasuke Uchiha?"

With a raised eyebrow and an ever-growing smirk, he finally looked at me. His eyes were even darker than I had imagined, and felt something like a sword to the gut. "Who wants to know?"

I nearly choked on my words. I was just an outspoken, curious waitress, interested in a handsome man with a story, but I couldn't say that. I decided on, "Everybody keeps talkin' 'bout you."

"Is that so," he said.

I nodded my head. "Pardon me, that was very rude, but—"

"It's fine," he cut me off. "The young ones are always the most curious."

I felt a hot blush creep on my face. "I am not _that_ young—"

"Young enough," he concluded. "I'll take that coffee, now."

With a vicious tremor in my arms, I stalked off to make him a cup of coffee. It took everything in me to look away from him and pay attention to what I was doing. What should have taken a couple of seconds, took more like a few minutes.

By the time I got back to the booth, a woman perhaps a little older than he occupied the other seat. She had hair as red as blood and as wild as his, with eyes to match. She was beautiful, and I had assumed, ignorantly at the time, the reason for his return.

I placed the coffee in front of him, and smiled. "Will that be all for the table? Anythin' for you, ma'am?"

"Tea," she said, and shot me a smile that was more sultry than earnest. She was intimidating, and I'm sure she knew. "Milk and sugar on the side, honey." With an accent like that, she was surely from town.

I nodded my head and made quick work of her tea, placing it in front of her with a nod. "If you need anythin' else, holler," I said, and scurried off to my post by the door.

I watched them carefully for the remainder of his visit. He didn't seem particularly interested, but he also wasn't ignoring her. She reached for him a few times, but never touched him, and he smirked once. She smiled like she knew something, like she was keeping a secret. When she left, she placed a bony hand on his shoulder and shook her head. She walked away in heels like a woman who loved herself.

I knew I was staring, but I couldn't look away. His eyes watched his dark coffee like it was the most interesting thing in the world, but his lips twitched, like he knew I was watching him. With a scorching flush, I looked away and tended to the other tables as idly as possible.

When the time came to tend to his table again, his mug was still full. "Will there be anythin' else, sir?"

He shook his head. "Just the check."

I nodded my head and fished through my apron, placing his small tab on the table. For all the commotion he seemed fairly normal enough. He pulled out a nice wallet and left way too much money on the table. "Keep the change," he said, and then watched me for a moment before another knee-jellying smirk crept on his near-perfect face. "Sakura."

Later on that day, Ino cornered me in the bathroom to ask me about the man behind the story. "What's he like?" she asked. "Dun' hold back any information, forehead-girl."

I shook my head at the insult. "He was jus' like anybody else, pig."

"I dun' believe you," she said, and huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Was he nasty? Or nice? What'd he sound like? Why was he here—"

"He was nice," I said. "I dun' know why he's here."

Her blue eyes watched me carefully before she sighed loudly. "God, forehead, you're jus'… borin'!" She threw her arms up in annoyance. "You have the most interestin' man in all o' Konoha sittin' at your table, and what do you do? Absolutely nothin'!"

It took everything in my not to roll my eyes, so I laughed. "I'm not gonna _harass_ the man, Ino! I'm not crazy, like you."

"Crazy gets shit done," she said, and waved me off with a tiny hand. "Whatever, I'm getting' back to work. Skippin' on my tips for no information at all…" She groaned. "Next time, I'll get a piece of him, you bet your ass."

I rolled my eyes and thought maybe, next time, I'd try a little harder, too.

* * *

Konoha was a little town just south of Oto, and, back then, what I called home.

It seemed like nothing more than met the eye. They called it a backwards, hick town, surrounded by acres of farmland, swelling with townies and locals that could never truly leave, and a diner with some really good food and terrible service. Perhaps they weren't totally wrong, but there was so much more to Konoha.

Konoha was a town where everybody knew everybody, and there was no such thing as "mind your own business." Konoha was a town where we found family in more than just our mama's and daddies, found support in more than just our closest friends. Konoha was a town where we all grew together.

Like I said, though, in some ways, they weren't totally wrong. Konoha was a town where the kids grew bored, and did things they weren't supposed to do. Konoha was a town where the boys took advantage of the girls, and the girls often got into a trouble they couldn't fix with an apology. Konoha was a town where the wives cheated on their husbands with the city men, and the husbands sabotaged their best friends' businesses. Konoha was too often a home for scandals.

But Konoha was also a home for legends.

Konoha was a place where an escape meant you had made it. Konoha was a town to overcome. Konoha was a town of stories, and tales, and people who moved on.

Our most famous scandal that would become legend came in the form of Sasuke Uchiha: the survivor. We were all told about his story from a young age; a tale of a boy who lost everything. It was before my time, but if our parents didn't tell us, the older boys who were around for the incident never shut up about it. It was a tragedy, a famous happening that spread like wildfire across the entire world. The story turned him into a ghost, a character more than a person, and a household name.

It was a terrible way to become a legend, and not an escape Konoha was familiar with. It was heresy, mostly—the only person who knew the truth of the massacre was Sasuke, who would eventually tell me years later. It happened when he was just a boy. Supposedly, his older brother had murdered his entire family with nothing but a shotgun and a smile, and escaped into the night for nobody to ever see again. Sasuke was never the same.

He left town a few years after I was born, but I never met him. I had only heard what I was told. I knew Sasuke sometimes wandered in and out for reasons nobody really knew, but that was about it—that is, until he started coming back for me.

* * *

Next time didn't come for a while. I didn't see him for almost six months after that instance. It was true, the rumor: Sasuke Uchiha comes and goes whenever he so pleases.

I was taking an early weekend shift that day, and the diner was empty. Mama had said I looked _pining_ one too many times, and that morning was no exception. I had a thirsting crush that was desperate for the older man to quench with nothing more than himself sitting in my grid. The rain was hot, and my hair was so wet it almost looked red; my skirt so soaked it stuck to my skinny thighs.

There was nobody to turn around and stare him down when he entered. He took a seat at the nearest table, one of my tables, and stared out the window like the storm was the most interesting thing to ever become.

I approached his table with a confidence I didn't even know I could muster, especially looking like frizzy-haired, wet dog. "Welcome back," I said.

He looked up at me with an unreadable expression. "Hello."

"How are you doin' this mornin'?" I asked, watching him carefully. His hair stuck to his pretty face, and his leather jacket was dripping onto the floor I'd have to clean.

"Fine," he said. "Yourself?"

"Fine," I said. I sifted through my apron pocket and pulled out my notepad. "Can I get you somethin' to drink, or do you know what you want to order?"

"Just coffee," he answered. He passed me the menu he hadn't opened. "Black. Thanks." His voice was a deep rumble that set my heart thumping farther than it had ever gone, would ever go. He didn't seem particularly bothered by his soaked state, and I couldn't even pay attention to mine.

I stepped off to make him his cup, and nearly burned myself doing so. I carried it carefully back to his table, nearly tripping over my own two feet, and placed it in front of him. I saw the dripping ring begin to form around the base of the mug. "Will that be all?"

He watched me carefully for a moment. For many people, there were many reasons to find Sasuke Uchiha so attractive, so alluring: his sensuous smirk, his chiseled jaw, his high cheekbones, or messy hair, but for me, it was always his eyes. They were dark like the night sky, and as mysterious as the man himself. They always sparked something fierce within me I couldn't understand, wouldn't understand until a much later. "Why don't you sit down for a moment?" he asked me.

My eyes widened, and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I couldn't help the blush that surfaced on my chubby cheeks, still fresh with baby fat. "Pardon?"

"Sit for a moment," he repeated, but there was an edge to his tone. Sasuke Uchiha was not a man who enjoyed repeating himself. "You look wet, and tired."

I eyed him skeptically. "I don't know…"

He really did look annoyed at this point, a tiny scowl on his face, but his monotonous voice was never a tell. "What's the worst that could happen?"

My jaw slackened, and I felt my mouth go dry. "I could get in trouble? I could lose my job?"

"The diner is empty," he said, and his tone seemed final. He posed it as a question, but I knew, in that moment, that he didn't really ask anybody anything. He instructed.

I sat down in the chair across from him at the small table, but not before surveying the area for my manager. Ino was neck deep in a crossword puzzle, leaning against the bar, and Hinata was sitting quietly at a table, doing homework. It was as empty as he had said, so I took my chances.

We sat in silence for a long moment. I wished I had a cup of something to occupy myself like he did. He stirred it as if it wasn't black, and took a long sip that made his face scrunch up. When the silence became too long, I said, "Is there a reason you asked me to sit?"

He placed his coffee down in front of him with a loud click, and watched me with a smirk that turned me into a puddle. "How old are you?" he asked me. He had a strange way of being interested without looking even the slightest bit curious.

I nearly bit my tongue. Perhaps it would have been a safe choice to lie at that moment, but it slipped past my tongue before I could hold it back, "Jus' turned sixteen."

"Younger than I thought," he mused, and leaned back in his chair. "I couldn't imagine why your manager would put a little thing like you on so early in the morning."

"I'm not that young," I snapped, only to blush furiously at his amused expression. "I can take care of myself. No one's gonna take advantage of me any time soon, you hear?"

His eyes scoured me like a book before nodding his head. "I'll take your word for it."

I felt my blush darken, hot and bothersome. It only made his smirk widen. "How old are you?" I asked.

He clucked his tongue, and shrugged. "Old enough."

My eyes narrowed. "I answered you."

"And I answered you," he said. "I'm old enough."

I sighed loudly, and leaned back into my chair. "Well, aren't you jus' a man o' mystery?" Ino would have been proud of me, taking no nonsense in that moment, even from Sasuke Uchiha. I always wondered if he knew how badly he made me shake; I kept my hands knit tightly in my lap, and my legs crossed.

He smirked. "Something like that." He took another long sip of his coffee; he didn't seem particularly pleased with it, and I had half a mind to add just a little sugar to see if that made it any better. "Do you go to school?"

I frowned. "What kind o' question is that? O' course I do."

He shrugged. "Around your age is when they start dropping like flies," he explained. "Though, I'm sure you knew that."

"I plan on graduatin'," I told him, eyes narrowing.

He leaned in. "And after that?"

I leaned back, and felt a hot blush begin to creep on my face, a feeling that he still ignites in me today. "Pardon me?"

"After you graduate," he repeated. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Sakura?"

I could have listened to him say my name all day long, that tempting smirk on his face, his eyes a shade darker than normal. His almond shaped eyes caused his lashes to dust his skin in a way that made me ashamed of my own womanly features. It took me a moment to find my voice over the tight feeling in my throat. "I'm gon' go to school," I said. "I'm gon' be a doctor, like Mama."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your Mama is a doctor?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, sir."

"Then that would make you Tsunade's daughter, wouldn't it?" he asked me.

"You know my Mama?" I asked, eyes widening.

"She's the only doctor around here for years worth shit," he said.

I blushed at his cursing. "She's amazin'."

"Very smart," he agreed. "You're not that much of a surprise, then, given your parents. Why do you work here?"

I shrugged. "Daddy said it builds character."

"Maybe he's right." He picked up his spoon and began twirling it between his fingers. My heart beat so fast when I looked at him—still does. He barely spared me a glance at that time; it hadn't even occurred to me then that Sasuke Uchiha taking an interest in me was something to watch out for. He was just a legend to me then, somebody's attention to get.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked him.

He looked up from the spoon between his fingers to cast me an amused glance before looking back down. "I'm already grown up."

"What do you do, then?" I asked. "When you're not here."

He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it quickly, eyebrows furrowing in thought. He then said, "Odd jobs, I guess."

"What kind o' odd jobs?" I questioned.

He smirked, almost tauntingly. "You're a curious young thing, aren't you?"

"I'm not young," I insisted, but the flush on my cheeks said otherwise. I always looked younger when I was mad, or embarrassed, and my tiny size never helped me in anyway.

He shook his head. "So you've said."

I began to stand with a tiny sigh. "I better get back to work," I told him, and tried to muster the prettiest smile I could, a smile that would make him ask me to sit back down. "It was nice talkin' to you, Sasuke."

It didn't work. "You too, Sakura," he said. I knew then that no matter how many times I heard him say my name in my lifetime, it would always make my heart beat fast.

I was about to walk away, but decided on one last question with a timid smile. I wonder what he thought about me back then, when I was so young, and shy, obviously desperate for even a little of his attention. "When will you be back again?" I asked, but my voice wavered, and it came out more like a whisper.

I was afraid he hadn't heard me, so I was surprised when he answered after a long pause. "Soon," he said, all too cryptically.

At that moment, I took it as a sign that he wouldn't actually be coming back—at least, for me. My smile turned sad, and I said, "See you later, then."

But I'd come to learn that Sasuke Uchiha was often full of surprises.

* * *

 **Southern Sasuke kills me but yay this is a summer project that should be done before the end of August. Please review!**

 **Peace.**


	2. chapter two

**the boy who had no home**  
theeflowerchild

chapter two

* * *

There weren't many expectations for girls around my age in Konoha, not to say that there were many for boys, either. There wasn't much to that town, never will be, and kids my age were bored more often than not—and when kids were bored, nothing good could ever came of it.

I went to a small school, only about twenty people in my grade, maybe a hundred in the high school in its entirety. We were all friends—well, _most_ of us were—and there were barely any secrets. There rarely are in a town that small.

Of those that graduated, most were boys, and most were guilty. Those boys were the reason us girls never had a chance, would never make anything of ourselves besides wives and mothers. Those boys, and their sweet talking ways, and their pretty smiles, and their expected futures of taking over Mama's general store, or Daddy's big farm; those boys and their role models: all men who befell the same fate before them, never to learn any better. They would whisk us away, and tell us they loved us, and convince us their was no better way to show it than shacking up in the barn late at night where nobody can catch you. They were never taught any better.

Like I said, I believed it was boredom more than anything else. There was nothing to do but work, and drugs were scarce, so sex was the next best thing. Proclamations of love and dance invitations were just the way the boys would get it—and let me tell you, these boys were nothing but stupid. These boys had no desire in protecting themselves, literally. Daddy's girls fell pregnant, and that was the end for them; they'd forever be stuck in the town they swore they'd get out of.

At my age, I thought I had nothing to worry about; I believed I was young, yet. Sure, I knew a few girls who had succumbed to the self-fulfilled prophecy around my age, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I was a little bit different than the other girls, anyway; I wouldn't call myself smarter than those girls now by any means, but back then, I thought I was invincible. My parents weren't farmhands or bartenders, either; my mama was a doctor and my daddy was a writer, and that made me something of a sophisticated lady back then, a privileged darling, a _catch_ , if you would. Boys in that town wouldn't know a catch if it bit them in the ass, so I wasn't really the first on their list to whisk away in the night and bed on a pile of hay.

I wouldn't want anything to do with those country boys at the time, anyway, more interested in their muscle cars and that season's corn than making a girl feel good. Back than, I thought it was impossible for that to happen to me, that I was too good for that, that nothing like that could ever happen around me.

That being said, I never expected to find Ino at my doorstep that night with tears streaming down her horror-stricken face. I had been annoyed at first, the clock screaming two AM at me through the darkness. I stalked down the stairs in a huff, careful not to wake my parents, and swung the door open. "What d'ya want—Ino?" I began rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Ino? What ya doin' here so late?"

She must have been standing there a while, because the porch light had already shut off. I could see the sheen of her tears with the reflection of the moonlight on her puffy face. My eyes immediately widened, and suddenly I wasn't so tired anymore. "Ino, you okay? Why're ya cryin'—?"

"I d'know what happened, Sakura," she said, shaking her head. Her hair was down, a bird's nest on her pretty head, and her eyes were wide like saucers, their normal brilliant blue something icy. "I d'know, Sakura, d'know." She began wracking with sobs, and the porch light flicked on. Her face was covered in dark, black makeup, and her cheeks were as pink as my hair. "It's impossible, I was so careful—"

"Why dun ya come in?" I asked, beckoning her with a hand and a soft smile. Ino was known to quickly change her emotions at any moment, so I didn't bother trying to hug her, or grab at her for fear of upsetting her further. "It's cold, and dark. I'll make ya somethin' warm to drink—"

"I dun messed up, Sakura," she whispered through sobs. She looked so small in her oversized pajamas; I wondered at that moment how she had gotten past her parents, and taken her loud car all the way here so late at night. She didn't even make eye contact with me.

"I'm sure whatever happened, there'll be a way to fix it," I soothed her. I motioned her again with a hand. "Please, come inside—"

"I'm pregnant."

I felt my heart begin to beat hard in my chest, and my hand almost immediately retracted. "Wh-What?"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated. "With a _baby_ , Sakura. I'm—I'm _pregnant_."

My mouth went completely dry, and my eyes widened in confused shock. I felt myself begin to tear up, my lower lip trembling. I hadn't known what to say at that point, had never been faced with such a situation. I just said, "Come in, please," again, and waited for her to do so.

We stood in silence for a moment, and the porch light clicked off again. The moon cast shadows on both our teary faces, and strong, resilient Ino suddenly looked far more helpless to me than ever before. After what felt like an hour, she finally padded into the foyer, slippers scraping against the wood floors. She looked cold, I realized as I flipped on the lights, and much worse in florescent lighting. "You should take a shower," I offered. "I'll go make ya hot cocoa, or whatever you'd like."

"Sak, it's'kay—"

"Please," I insisted. "Go take a shower, I'll heat up some water. You're somethin' of a mess, and a shower always makes ya feel better."

She pursed her lips, and nodded her head slowly. "Thanks, Sak," she said.

"Towels are where they always are," I said, and began backing into the kitchen. "You're welcome to anythin' you'd like in there."

"Thanks," she repeated, and I watched her ascend the stairs to the second floor. I was sure Daddy would sleep through it, but I knew Mama was bound to come down at any moment.

When Ino was out of sight, I rushed into the kitchen with a harsh breath and slammed down onto a chair far harder than I should have. I felt like lead. My heart was beating so fast I was sure it would rip right through my chest and land square in the middle of the table. I placed my palms in my lap, and stared them down with anger. I didn't even know what I was angry about.

I waited until I heard the water click on before sighing. At least she had actually decided to take a shower, clear her head, wash herself off of the night. I had no idea what happened, but I knew it couldn't have been good. I didn't know then that this was only the start of something big.

After a few minutes, I grabbed the kettle and filled it to the top with water. I set it to boil and grabbed three mugs: one for me, one for Ino, and one for Mama. I grabbed the cocoa packets and poured them into the bottoms of the mugs.

Like I thought, Mama came down before the water could even boil and found me standing next to the oven. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked, and she didn't sound like she had just woken up. Mama was always special like that: no matter the circumstance, she always seemed put together; even then, with her hair pulled back in messy piggy tails and her face naked of any makeup, she looked just right.

"Sorry, Mama," I said. "I know it's late."

"Who's in that shower?" she asked, and took a seat at the head of the table. "Better not be a boy, y'hear?" she joked with a smile.

I laughed, and shook my head. "Nothing like that o'course, Mama."

"O'course," she said. "Is everythin' alright?"

"It's Ino," I whispered, and my smile automatically fell to a frown. "Is Daddy awake?"

"Is Daddy ever awake?" she asked, and rolled her eyes. "It must be real bad if you're makin' hot cocoa."

I nodded my head. "It is." The whistle of the kettle went off, louder than normal in the dark, sleepy house. I picked it up off the stovetop and began pouring as much as I could into the mugs without spilling. "I think Ino'd need ya right about now, Mama."

"Is that so?" she asked me. I couldn't see her, but I was sure she was pursing her lips, and shaking her head. She already knew what was happening, probably, because it tragically happened to most of us. "We'll talk when she's out the shower, then."

"Yes, Mama," I said, and finally turned around. She was wearing the exact expression I had pictured, except more empathetic than not. Mama was never one to judge; she made people feel safe, and gave people options—that's just who she was. We fought sometimes, but she was the best Mama in town, in the world, and she was there for everybody, no matter the circumstances. There were no fears with Mama, but I didn't know before then I'd ever need her in such a way.

I placed her hot cocoa in front of her, but she didn't seem intent on touching it anytime soon. She was deep in thought, eyebrows knitted, lips puckered. I placed Ino's, and my own mug down next to each other, and took a seat in silence. I knew Mama wasn't going to say anything else until Ino finally came down; another trait of hers: never feeding into gossip, and never talking about anybody behind their back. Mama was and is a good woman.

Ino finally came down nearly ten minutes later, her hair soaking wet, but her face clean. Her eyes were red, like she'd been crying in the shower, and her cheeks were swollen. She'd been crying for a very long time, I knew, and she looked like she was ready to cry again. She took a seat next to me and we sat in silence for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Good evenin', ma'am. Sorry for interruptin'—"

"It's fine," Mama insisted, and shook her head. "Ain't you worry 'bout a thing."

I saw Ino's eyes begin to well with tears, but she hid them through her long bangs not a second later. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Any time," she said, and smiled. "You look like you had a rough night."

For a long time, it didn't seem like Ino was going to respond. I wanted to let her know that talking to my mama was safe, but that was something she should have already known, and would have to learn for herself, now. I kept quiet as I watched Mama's hopeful gaze, the soft smile that kept the patients coming to her, and kept her bedside manor something famous around these parts. Finally, Ino reluctantly began to nod her head. "You could say that."

"Why dun you take a sip of your drink, Ino?" Mama asked, and nudged her forward with a motion of her hand. "It shoulda cooled by now, dun ya think?"

Ino nodded her head, and took a long drink. Mama just watched her; she always knew what she was doing, so I didn't push forward. "Dudn't that make you feel a little better?" she asked.

"Yes," Ino said. "I guess it does."

"Good," she said, and her smile seemed final. "Now, where have you been tonight?"

The look on Ino's face was something of horror at that moment, and pain. I had already known it hadn't been a good night, but I'm sure recalling anything at that point must not have been easy. She shook her head violently. "I dunno, I dunno—"

"Try to remember." Her voice was very soft, but unwavering. "It's important that you do."

"I…" she trailed off, and thought for a moment. Her eyes grew wet, and I saw her fingers begin to shake. I wanted to say something, to comfort her, but Mama seemed like she had everything under control. She always did. "I was at Shikamaru's, and he said… I told him I was sick, 'bout how I was feelin', and he told me I ain't sick. He told me that was how Temari felt when she was… she was… So I went to the general store and got me a test… and… and…" Her voice crumbled in her through and she began wracking with sobs, unable to speak at that point.

This time, I pulled her into a tight hug against me, and she lost herself in my arms. She wailed like somebody had just died, so hard it made me cry, too. "Take your time, dear," Mama said, and I nodded my head against her cheek. She had all the time in the world in this house.

She cried against me for almost ten minutes, and it sounded like she really needed it. She couldn't really control herself, even screamed at some points during. I was surprised Daddy didn't wake, but like Mama said, Daddy didn't wake up for _anything_. Or, maybe, Daddy knew when he should stay in his room.

When she finally calmed down, Mama asked, "Now, what happened after you left Shikamaru's?"

She swallowed loudly. "I went home, and Mama was out. Probably with another man," she said, and shook her head. That was another conversation for another day. "I took that damn test, and it had… it had… it had that _stupid_ blue plus! My life is over! You hear? Over!" she yelled, but she didn't cry. At that point, she was all cried out. She slammed her fists on the table in anger, eyes as red as the devil with stress.

"So you just found out?" Mama asked.

Ino nodded her head.

"Have you told anybody else?" she asked. "Other than us?"

"No, ma'am, I ain't tell nobody," she said.

"Have you decided anythin' yet?" she questioned. I thought at the time that it was way too early to even be thinking about what to do, but I'd learn later that it was never too early.

Ino's eyes widened. "You don't mean—"

"I don't mean anything," Mama interrupted calmly. Her smile was enough to make anybody simmer down.

"I'm keepin' it," she said. "In God's name, I'm keepin' it—"

I couldn't imagine how she could be thinking of any God at a time like this, but we all think differently in a crisis. How could there be a God, I had thought, that would allow something like this to happen to such a young girl? Why would a God ruin someone's life like that? You don't think of the diamonds within the pile of shit when something bad has just happened.

"That's your choice," Mama said. "And that's a good choice, because it is _yours."_

Ino nodded, and her eyes began to well again. I patted her back with a reassuring smile. "Mama's right."

"Now, Ino, I'm goin' to ask you one more question," she said, and her eyes became a little darker. Her lips set into a grim line. "You dun have to answer this, but it'd be good to know. Take your time with it. Do you know who the Daddy is?"

She went completely rigid at the question. Her hands started shaking, and her eyes became clear. "I do, ma'am," she whispered.

Only one person came to my mind at that point, and I'd turn out to be right.

"That's good, then," Mama said, and nodded her head. She sunk back into the chair. "You're gonna be makin' a lot of choices soon, and a lot of changes. You're gonna have to decide whetha' or not you want this boy in this chld's life, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

"No matter what _anybody_ says, though, that's all up to you, but we'll always be here to help, too," she said, and then a smile resurfaced on her face: a bright one, an optimistic one. I nodded along with her. "A baby can be a gift if you let it, Ino, no matter the circumstances. Remember that."

Ino returned the smile as best as she could. She turned to look at me with a look I'd come to know as the purest form of trust. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

It would come to be that Sasuke Uchiha, at least at the start, would always stroll into my life at exactly the right time—whether good, or bad. I didn't get any sleep that night, tired as ever, and had to work that morning. Ino called in sick and stayed home with Mama, talking about anything and everything. Mama had even offered to take Ino home and talk to her mama about everything, but Ino said no. Ino said she had to do that on her own, and maybe she was right.

Sasuke had already been seated at a booth in my section when I got in. It was a beautiful morning, save for the strain on my sight and the weakness in my step. I was sure there were bags as purple as the twilight sky under my droopy eyes. Hinata greeted me with a tiny smile, like everything was okay, and my manager was nowhere to be seen.

I hadn't seen him since he had asked me all those questions, which was nearly a month ago. The air was swelling with that damp, May heat that everybody hated, causing my hair to frizz. The air conditioner in the diner had barely kicked in, so the windows were open and the smell of the flowers overshadowed any scent grits and bacon could cast. He looked perfectly handsome in a pair of jeans and a light t-shirt; his leather jacket left wherever he had called home at that time so his skin could enjoy a nice, humid kiss from the sun.

His hair looked perfect, a mess on his head. I'm sure no amount of humidity could take away his beauty. He looked as bored as he always did, hand in his cheek, apathy on his pretty face.

I walked over to him with the most attractive smile I could muster, which I'm sure was sunken and exhausted at best. He looked me over with a raised eyebrow that made my heart beat fast; it wasn't easy to pretend like you were perfectly peachy when Sasuke Uchiha was looking at you with his hard gaze. "Good mornin', welcome back," I said, and he nodded his head. "Can I get you anythin' to start?"

"Just coffee, black," he reiterated his order. It was become familiar already. "That'll be all."

I nodded my head and stalked off to make him his cup. I wondered if it would ever be easy to make anything with Sasuke Uchiha in the same building, but I'd come to eat my words.

I brought over his cup with the same, tired smile. He nodded his head and a word of thanks passed through his lips. I was about to walk away when he called after me, "You look tired."

I turned around with a frown on my face. "Why, if there were ever a compliment."

He smirked, and despite my angry face, I felt my cheeks grow hot. I just hoped he thought it was from anger rather than embarrassment—or some other feeling. "Just stating a fact."

"I had a long night," I said. "Okay?"

His eyes narrowed, but his smirk didn't falter. "You don't look like the type of girl who has long nights—"

"That ain't what I meant!" I yelled, and had half a mind to slap him. That time, my cheeks did grow hot with pure embarrassment. "How inappropriate!"

He chuckled, but it was more of a release of breath than anything else. Sasuke wasn't, isn't, the kind of man to out loud, hold your gut, I can't breathe _laugh_. "Pardon me, ma'am," he apologized, his voice nearly a little too sweet.

It did exactly the job he wanted it to, if that was his intentions, and caused my knees to jelly. My face fell from angry to just annoyed. "Well… It's fine, then, but I'll be goin' now—"

"Why don't you sit for a moment?" he asked. The question lingered in the air like the scent after a spring shower. His face was soft, but he wasn't smiling; eyes as dark as the night sky, and just as easy to get lost in. "You don't have any other customers, and I'd love to hear about your night," he used nearly the same excuse as the last time.

At that age, I knew it was strange for him to be asking for me, but I also knew I liked the attention. Attention from Sasuke Uchiha wasn't something you just ignored. Reluctantly, but not as much so as the last time, and with a tiny blush that wouldn't be vanishing any time soon, I sat across from him at the booth. "I dun really have much to say 'bout it."

He raised an eyebrow. "So it wasn't so innocent, then—"

"It really ain't nothin' like that!" I insisted, hands raised in defense. He had a way of getting me all flustered like no other, still does. "I was dealin' with a good friend o' mine."

"Dealing with a good friend, huh?" he asked. "Now, what could that mean?"

"What do you think it means?" I asked, and leaned back in the chair. I crossed my legs, accidentally grazing one of his and causing a little stir in my stomach, but he didn't seem to notice—or, if he did, he didn't say anything.

"It could mean anything, 'round here," he said. I wasn't sure if he was mocking the accent or not. He spoke so well, but he had also been gone for so long. "Too much drama for such a little town."

"It's jus' as much as any other town," I explained. "It's jus' that there ain't as many of us to spread it all out."

He pursed his lips. "Maybe you're right."

"Maybe I am," I agreed with a smile. I wondered if my smile did for him what his smirk did for me, made his heart beat a little fast, made his stomach twitch. Back then, that seemed so far off: that a man like him could ever feel any kind of way about me. "There's a curse 'round these parts on us ladies, y'know."

He raised a fine eyebrow. "Is that so?" He ran his finger on the ring of his mug, coffee still left untouched.

I nodded my head. "Sure is. Y'all haven't heard 'bout it?"

"Can't say I have." Not unlike last time, his gaze was anywhere but on mine, but maybe that was for the better. I'm still not sure I could've handled myself at that point with his sturdy gaze on me, impossibly unwavering and delectably enticing.

"It's y'all's fault," I said, and laughed when his eyes narrowed. "You men, I mean. What y'all do to us girls."

His eyes widened almost immediately, and his mouth formed an 'o' in recognition. It didn't take any more words for Sasuke to realize what I was talking about.

I shook my head. "It can't be helped. My friend is in a mess, y'see."

"I can only imagine," he said, voice level. He finally took a long sip of his coffee, not nearly hot enough at that point to be any sort of enjoyable. "I'm sorry for your friend."

"Yeah, me too," I said. "It happens to the best of us."

For a second, he looked very confused, eyebrows knitted. He asked me, "You—?"

I realized my mistake in my words and cut him off with a laugh. "No, not me; never me. I got a future, ya see, and it's some place far, far away."

His lips twitched into something that looked more like a smile than a smirk. "I wish you the best of luck with that, ma'am."

"Thank ya, sir," I said with a large smile. I didn't feel as tired at that moment. He looked like he was about to say something, but the the door opened with a loud jingle. With a long sigh, I stood up slowly. "It was nice seeing you, Sasuke."

He smirked. "You too, Sakura."

He didn't say any words of goodbye when he left, nothing to hear but the jingle of the bell above the door—he did leave a hefty tip again, though. I couldn't imagine at that time what he must do for a living to be able to leave such tips, whether or not Sasuke Uchiha was an honest man, but it didn't even occur to me to think about it, either.

I sure as hell thought about him, though. I found myself daydreaming about him for the rest of the day, every minute in between, and before I went to sleep that night. I thought of his dark, almond eyes, and his mess of a hairstyle that was somehow something great when he wore it. I thought about his leather jacket, and his tight jeans. I pictured what he must have driven: a motorcycle, I believed, though I knew that wasn't near possible because I never saw a helmet.

I dreamt of his voice, and what he could say to me. I dreamt of the way he said my name that first day I met him, the way it left his lips like the feeling of hot water on cold skin, the way he made me think I could hear my name every minute of every day as long as he said it. I dreamt of what he could do with those lips that housed that voice, something I had never dreamt of before. I dreamt of them against my own, against my cheeks, and my neck, and my ears, and a place I never even dreamt that I could dream of.

I woke up in the middle of that night in a cold sweat; sticky with the way his hands touched me behind the shades of my eyes.

* * *

I didn't see Ino at school the next day, but she was ready for work by the time I got in. Her eyes weren't as red as I thought they might be, but she wasn't wearing any makeup, either; something Ino never did. She was in her regular uniform, and her hair was pulled back neatly.

I approached her slowly; she was sitting at the bar, interested in her nails more than her customers. "Ino," I called after her softly. I tried on a kind smile. "Nice to see you back."

She turned her head up, and I noticed that she looked exhausted, but I was not surprised. If I looked tired enough that Sasuke would comment on it, of course she looked far worse. "Evenin', Sakura."

"You coulda called out, y'know," I said, and took a seat at the stool next to hers. "I wouldn't o' blamed ya."

She shook her head. "Not two days in a row. If I needed the tips before, I sure as hell need 'em now."

"You coulda had my tips," I offered, only to receive another shake of her head. "Jus'… Take your time tonight, 'kay? No need to push yourself or anythin'—"

She cut me off, "I'm pregnant, not paper." She stared at her palms for a long moment, something like a grave look on her face, before turning to me and laughing. "It was a joke, Sak. You can laugh."

So I did, and she joined me, if only for a moment. "If you need any help at _all_ tonight, please, ask for me," I said, and stood. "Now, we better get to work before that damn manager ruins us, ya hear?"

She nodded her head and stood slowly. She mustered a smile that made me smile, too. "Thanks for everythin', Sakura. Really."

"Anytime," I said, and grinned.

Before I could walk off, Ino stopped me with a sly smile. "Did ya see who's here?"

I raised an eyebrow in question. "No."

"Why, Sakura." She shook my shoulder, and winked dramatically. "Your _man,_ o'course. You dun see him?"

"My _man?"_ I asked, but I already knew who she was talking about. My heart began racing in my chest as I looked over the crowd. I couldn't believe it; Sasuke Uchiha was here _two days in a row_. "What're you talkin' 'bout, crazy?"

She sighed and waved me off with a nimble hand. "You darn well know what I'm talkin' 'bout." She stalked off toward her own customers without another glance my way.

I swallowed loudly, looking over the sea of people. I spotted him almost immediately, despite the dinner rush. I really couldn't believe my luck, spotting him two days in a row after months of scarceness.

I felt, at that moment, like he had come there for me. With something like a newfound confidence, or maybe it was from more sleep, I smiled and began making my way over to him, heart going wild in my chest. He looked so handsome, all dressed up in a nice button down the color of wine, staring out the window with his common expression of boredom.

I stopped in my tracks when I realized he wasn't alone.

There she was, dressed in a dress prettier than anything I ever owned and wearing a sultry smile on her face, the woman from the first time I ever met him. She was leaning back in the booth, shaking her head and laughing at a comment he must have made. She looked all things happy, and she was just as pretty as I remembered, even in darker lighting.

My footsteps slowed as I approached them now. I felt my heart lodge in my throat in what felt like embarrassment; how could I have been so stupid? To think he'd come just to see me again?

I thought, at that moment, that he probably had just stopped in for coffee, and had been bored. Of course he'd asked the lonely waitress in the totally empty diner for a word or two; it wasn't so rare around these parts to make pleasant conversation, even if it was from Sasuke Uchiha.

I offered a weak smile when I finally approached the table that the woman replied to with a friendly smile of her own. She didn't know I thought she was the enemy, then. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but I chose to ignore them. "Evenin', folks. What can I start you with?"

"Jus' a bud light, thank you," she said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Disgusting," he said, but it seemed more playful than cruel.

She only giggled, and stuck up a hand in defense. "Not all of us are big, fancy drinkers like you, Sasuke Uchiha."

He scoffed. "You may as well have gotten a water."

She clucked her tongue. "Jus' order your damn drink, you ass."

He shot her a tiny glare, before turning toward me with a smirk. "Whiskey on the rocks, Sakura, thanks."

The way he said my name made the bile rise in my throat. It was unnecessary, and a part of me knew then that he knew _exactly_ what it did to me, like he was trying to get a reaction out of me. My lips set into a grim line. "Comin' right up."

I heard the woman ask as I walked away, "You know her?" but I didn't hear his response.

The bartender made a few comments on my sour mood that I decidedly ignored. I dropped off the drinks to the table without a word, and stalked off to take more orders. The night dragged on longer than a night ever had before, and I felt myself becoming more and more miserable.

She left more than two hours later. Though I swore to Ino I wasn't looking, I saw her brush his shoulder with one of her dainty hands and whisper something in his ear that he shook his head at. She sauntered off in her high heels and tight dress, and made me feel like a little girl.

When Sasuke called for the check, it was almost an hour after that. His drink was still nearly full, and he seemed more interested in the stars outside the window than whatever was in front of him. "Can I get you anythin' else?"

"No, that's all," he said, and placed way more money on the table than he should have. I didn't correct him, though. I was about to walk away when he said, "I'll be gone for a while, again."

I turned around on my heel with a raised eyebrow, feigning something like disinterest, but I was nothing if not intrigued. "Oh?"

"I'll see you when I get back, then," he said, and stood with a nod of his head. I couldn't find the words as I watched him leave Ichiraku's.

I didn't know why he told me that; made me feel like I had to wait for him. I didn't know why he'd bring another woman and, or so I thought, flaunt her in front of me only to let me know that he'd be back soon, and back to see me. I didn't know, and I didn't care.

All I knew was that I felt like my heart was in my stomach and my stomach was in my ass, like I couldn't breathe for the life of me.

His words followed me home that night, along with his voice, and his name, escaping my lips behind closed eyes and close doors.


End file.
